Greatest Marketer of the Century
Why Jo was the perfect person to save Vincent and why it matters to you.
[I am traveling in Berlin and Oslo, so am posting a favorite blog about the hero in my biographical novel. Read on for why she’s incredible and whether I’m the person to write this story.]
An archive blog written in January 2024.
A few weeks ago, I shared in a post how I got mad when Jo van Gogh was dismissed in a professional article about her brother-in-law Vincent. My annoyance kicked off a seven-year effort to write her story.
Jo is the heroine of my debut novel and her untold story about how she saved Vincent van Gogh from obscurity. When her husband Theo died six months after Vincent’s gunshot suicide, she inherited her husband’s estate. That included hundreds of Van Gogh paintings and drawings.
That inheritance would be split 50/50 with her son when he turned 21. But at the time of Theo’s death, the baby was barely a year old. Only a handful of people in the art community appreciated Vincent. Jo’s son was heir to a worthless legacy.
It would be up to his mom to create value in that inheritance.
I believe what she ultimately accomplished makes her the Greatest. Marketer. Of. The. Century.
Whoa, hold up! Yes, I know that’s a lot of enthusiasm! I’ll give you an idea of why with a few examples of the many marketing tactics she used intuitively and ahead of her time.
But what truly makes me pause is whether there’s a connection to my being drawn to her story before I had any inkling about what she did, although I bring a 30-year marketing career to the table.
For when I set out to devote myself to the creative endeavor to write a novel, I had no idea that as I researched—like popcorn kernels popping—Jo’s marketing intuition to make Vincent’s work discoverable would leap off the page to me.
Hidden in plain sight. Again and again, I saw examples of her marketing genius. I saw them because that’s the way I’ve trained myself to think.
Would someone else have seen the tactics?
Sure, but they haven’t written my book.
Does the universe conspire to bring us creative work where we can shine?
Whoa! I have a tentative answer at the end of this post.
But first, five examples on how Jo was a genius marketer as I share a bit of what I felt and discovered while researching.
Vincent Started as a Nobody
Like thousands of other young men who flocked to Paris to make their fame and fortune in art, Vincent is an unknown artist in a big, dog-eat-dog, street-fight bruising, winner-takes-all Art Industry boxing ring. Everyone shoved and scrambled—art dealers, instructors, schools, journalists—to get a slice of art’s money pie.
Neither Vincent nor his art dealer brother Theo had been able to break in.
Enter Jo. A young (29 yo), diminutive, Dutch single parent with a baby.
She’s got no chance, friends. With my background in marketing, I know a bit about the scrabble to grab space in the consumer awareness corner. Still, as I begin to research, I’m already rooting for her because she’s a sister in a male-dominated art-elite world, but still…the path is steep.
Wresting Control and Nurturing Allies
The very first thing she does is brilliant. She moves out of Paris to a small Dutch town, taking the 300 or so paintings in her apartment with her (Theo took to his grave what and where he’d scattered other artwork in galleries across Paris). I admire her already. Everyone’s aghast. She’s crazy! She doesn’t know what she’s doing! Paris is the place to be! Her father, her brother, Vincent’s artist friends are angry.
What’s she doing? Taking control. She’s creating distance from the Parisian art-dealer madness and ships all those paintings to go with her back to Holland where she stores them in an attic.
And remember, she’s grieving. She and Theo were head-over-heels in love. Her life is completely uprooted, but she’s holding her ground.
I am loving how she is digging deep for inner guidance. And I am sad for her too because I read their love letters, she has lost her soulmate and is facing a life changed forever.
First marketing strategy: She leans into one of Vincent’s one and only fan groups, Les Vingt. (The name means “The 20” in French). This group of twenty Brussels men prided themselves on being at the forefront of avant-garde art and Theo had exhibited Vincent’s work with them the year before. In fact, while Theo was sick, Jo took the initiative to send drawings to them so Vincent wouldn’t miss out on that year’s exhibition. With Theo gone, she nurtures this relationship. Allies are crucial, especially as everyone else sees her as just the dead art dealer’s wife. Total outlier.
Sounds basic, right? Support those who support you. Seeking out allies was critical when the rules were written by the dominant male elite. And she had to overcome timidity to do it. Her instinct in cultivating the relationship proved spot on. The intrepid Vingtistes would prove to be invaluable in continuing to give Vincent’s work intros into art shows as time went on. (Notice how they are outsiders too being from Brussels, Paris’s stepbrother).
And I’m happy. At least someone’s stepped up to help Jo.
Creating Social Proof and Scaring Up Scarcity
Second strategy: She gives paintings away. Sound counterintuitive? Except the gifts have one condition: The recipient must agree she can borrow them back for art shows. For example, she gives the painting, The Sower, and drawing, Road with Trees to Theo’s doctor in thanks for his caregiving. When he loans them back as agreed, she places a little notice next to each artwork: “From the personal collection of Dr. Frederik van Eeden.”
You can hear the wheels turning within exhibit visitors’ minds. “If Dr. Van Eeden owns it, maybe this is good?” Associating the artwork with an influential member of the community increases the perception of the art’s value.
It’s a tactic she will use judiciously again and again.
Third strategy: A friend of Theo’s and member of the Haagsche Kunstkring, a liberal art circle in The Hague, agrees to hold a review of Vincent’s work, Jo persuades them to include paintings not for sale in the show catalogue. But it's a sales catalogue, they balk. She talks them into trying it—taking a risk at angering this new art connection, and, worse, failing to make any sales, —but she sees the opportunity to introduce a scarcity idea. Not all paintings are available.
It works. One of the paintings, Mountainous Landscape (behind Saint Paul Hospital), sells for 270 guilders, nearly half an entire year’s rent of her home.
This is just over a year following her husband’s death. Jo is feeling her way, and I am cheering for her.
Holding Her Ground on Pricing
Next, a fourth strategy is one of marketing’s pillars: Pricing. Here, she keeps the long game in sight. For years she holds her ground on reducing the prices she assigns to Vincent’s work and gradually raises them.
Case in point: It’s Vincent’s first show in Copenhagen, which is also his first overseas show. It’s 1883 and Danish artist Johan Rohde founds his own art society and chooses to exhibit Vincent’s work. Jo sends 29 paintings in March, but a month later there are no sales. In April Rohde sends his No. 2 guy Seligmann to Holland to talk to Jo about lowering prices. She declines but is willing to consider offers. One month later, there are still no bites from buyers and Rohde insists she drop prices. She refuses. Three weeks later Rohde counter offers, but Jo won’t agree.
She’ll cheerfully bundle though! Buy a painting + drawing or two paintings and she’ll offer a discount.
I don’t think Rohde is amused.
I am astounded at how Jo’s confidence is growing. How vigilant she is in keeping her eye on her goal to grow the value of her son’s inheritance over time. She’s frugal; she’s running a guest house to pay the bills. It’s not about becoming wealthy.
Creating a World-class Stage Validation
For the fifth and last marketing example, I’ll skip forward to 1905. Curiosity and art collector interest has been growing around Vincent, not only in Paris but Germany, Austria, London, and other cities. Although his work is still controversial, it’s with this wind of Vincent’s popularity at her back that Jo proposes the most audacious idea of all: Give Vincent a one-man show. And not just anywhere, but in the premier contemporary art museum in Amsterdam, the Stedelijk.
Is she refused? Of course, she is. Does she try again, and then a third time?
Yes.
When she finally gets approval, she rents seven galleries within the Stedelijk. Hangs nearly 500 paintings and drawings. Plans for the show to run seven weeks. And by the end, it’s estimated 4,500 people attend. It’s the largest Van Gogh exhibition even to this day. Showcasing the breadth, depth, and enormity of contribution this man gave to the world of art and to us.
It would prove to be the breakout moment for Vincent to be on the world stage as one of humankind’s greatest artists.
Even now, I have to pause. I admire her tenacity and humility so much. Honestly, if it was me, I don’t know if I could have persisted.
One of this Century’s Greatest Marketers
Which brings me back to the beginning of this essay. I’ve only given a few examples of Jo’s successful marketing tactics, but why claim she was the greatest marketer of the last century?
Two reasons. First, next year 2025 is the 100th year anniversary of her death, a century marker. Secondly, if you look at prices paid for the last ten Van Gogh paintings publicly sold, sales on just those ten works alone equal an astounding $720 million.
She created a market worth billions of dollars from art that was considered worthless.
And Vincent’s work continues to draw and inspire millions of people.
You can see why her story deserves to be known.
Back to my question: Does the universe conspire to bring us creative work where we can shine? Jo is an example, right? She was the perfect person to value and preserve Vincent’s legacy. The fact that we know of him is no accident. She saved him from obscurity.
Am I the perfect person to write this story?
I don’t know, but it does reflect two of my passions—strong women and marketing. Instead of playing catch-up to becoming an author, is it that the most perfect preparation brings me here?
Do you value what you know? What you bring to the table?
I’d love to hear your thoughts.
Warmly,
Reference for most recent sales of Van Gogh art
https://insights.masterworks.com/art/artists/van-gogh-most-expensive-paintings/
Recommendation: Captivating Books about Classic Artists and Their Rivalry
Order on Stephanie Storey's website
Raphael, Painter in Rome
It’s embarrassing but I never realized until now that when my art history classes—and later travels to Rome—included gazing at a Raphael painting, I made a subconscious assumption that the perfect cherubic portrait in his artwork must be a mirror of the artist himself. Wholesome, pure, noble, pink-cheeked. So when I pulled this book RAPHAEL, PAINTER IN ROME, from my TBR pile, I was stunned, then captivated by the Raphael who emerged from the page. He’s a womanizer. He’s disheveled. He’s nimble within Vatican politics. Not the picture of perky perfection I’d imagined. But most enlightening of all—here is a man who burns with the drive to be better than his contemporary, Michelangelo. Not just better, but the GREATEST ARTIST IN HISTORY.
The thing is it’s not all bravado; Raphael has the talent to challenge Michelangelo. So with this smoldering rivalry driving the story’s pace, sixteenth-century Rome comes to life with vivid city descriptions, buildings (I know as ruins today), and fully fleshed-out characters, like the remarkable Felice della Rovere and Margherita Luti (who are only footnotes in most history books). The story is wonderfully entertaining and descriptive. Best of all, Storey has added links to the artwork cited in the narrative in the digital version. It was easy to click to see the paintings as they’re referenced and, over the course of the book, I came to appreciate Raphael’s work even more. Not just for art history buffs, this book is a satisfying, illuminating read.
Order on Laura Morelli's website
The Giant: A Novel of Michelangelo’s David
It was on a trip to Italy with my family when I was 13 years old that I first saw Michelangelo’s sculpture of David. The up-close image is still strong in my mind. David’s serene, serious face, the still before the storm, just before he will hurl his shepherd stones at the bully Goliath. More than 500 years since Michelangelo carved it. The physical form emits glorious beauty and grace even now. Imagine then how this historical novel is compelling, pulling us back to just before—before the statue was carved, before it was even conceived of, before Michelangelo was a master artist and sculptor. As the story unfolds, cleverly told through the eyes and experiences of a rival of Michelangelo, Jacopo Torni, we see the political backdrop, the stresses of daily living, the role artists played in 16th century Italian culture. We see how Michelangelo challenges the status of the older Da Vinci. We root for Michelangelo—and Jacopo too—to attempt to bring an idealized concept into physical form through their art. Author Morelli’s vivid world-building, enriched with careful research, brings us front and center to David’s creation. And now I must book a ticket to see David in person again!
Still love this!
Joan~ you and Jo are inspiring. Thank you for celebrating and sharing her!